1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a system and method for managing connections between web services. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for managing connection between a main web service and an external web service through a wired/wireless network.
2. Description of the Related Art
A web robot is used to construct a mirroring site (having the same service hierarchy diagram, but having a different service IP address) or to set up connection to an external web service by collecting all or some of the web pages of an external web service site through a wired/wireless network. However, in the case where the external web service site does not permit the collection of web pages by a web robot (including the case where legal restrictions are imposed or where collection prohibition is announced), the use of a web robot is inevitably restricted. Most Internet portal sites currently prohibit the collection of web pages using web robots.
When it is desired to link only a specific part or page of an external web service site to a main web page, a hyperlink need only be added to the current main web page through a manual operation, but, when it is desired to link a considerable part or all of the external web service site to the main web page, there is a disadvantage in that a network manager must personally add all of the hyperlinks through a manual operation. Further, from the standpoint of a user, there is inconvenience in that, when the user desires to use various types of external web services, he or she must collect information while personally visiting required sites, and must waste a lot of time.
For example, in the case of a Digital Bibliography & Library Project (DBLP) site, in which foreign biographical information is mainly provided, the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) “http://www.informatik.uni-trier.de/˜ley/db/indices/a-tree/j/Jung:Hanmin.html” is required in order to access a web page showing information about “Hanmin Jung”. The last portion of the URL, that is, “j/Jung:Hanmin.html” is changed according to the names of persons, and the remaining portions are not changed. However, in addition to this rule, there are several rules for the names of persons.
For example, in the case of “Jung Ho Ahn” in which respective components of a name are separated by a space, the name must be changed to “Ahn:Jung_Ho.html”, in which the space between the components of the name is changed to the symbol “_”. Further, in the case of “Jung-Hee Ahn”, in which the components of a name are connected through “-”, the symbol “-” present between the components of the name must be changed to “=”, like “Ahn:Jung=Hee.html”. Besides the above rules, since the user of the DBLP site does not know all URL rules for names, it is difficult in practice to 100% completely set up the connection between the main web service and the external web service.
Further, when an external web service is changed after the connection between the main web service and the external web service has been set up, the previously established rules do not apply any more, so that, when a user clicks a hyperlink, an error page is displayed. Furthermore, due thereto, the reliability and favorable impression of the user on the web page are deteriorated.